Improvement in grain-binders



L. H. JOHNSON.

GRAIN-B NDER.

Patented June 6,1876.

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gmmmfms N.PETERS. PHOTO-LITMOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

' v UNITED: STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS H. JOHNSON, OF FERGUS FALLS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, ELIJAH H. GAMMON, AND WILLIAM DEERING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BINDERS.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 178,301, dated June 6, 1876; application filed February 28, 1876.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIs H. JOHNSON, of

Fergus Falls, Otter Tail county, State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Inn-- provements in Binding Attachments for Harvesters, of which the following is a full description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top or plan view; Fig. 2, an end view; Fig. 3, a side view; Fig. 4, a ver- .tical section-of the twisting-head; Fig. 5, a '-plan view of the twisting-wheel; Fig. 6, a

Fig. 7, a detail of the an improved platform for receiving the gavels and discharging the bundles in an improved bundle-compressor; and in the several combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed as new.

In the drawings, A represents the main 7 platform or frame-work, upon which the devices are supported; B, the gavel-platform;

O, the guard-plate; D, the driving-wheel of the twisting device; E, the needle; F. G, the wire-spools; H, the compressor; .1, the ;rod for operating the compressor; J, the socket through which the rod I slips; K, the shaft for supporting the bundle-platform L, the shaft of the driving-wheel D; M, theshaft of the needle-arm; N, the crank at the end of the needle-arm shaft; 0 O, the elevated shaft, with crank supporting the arms for receiving the grain, and holding it in check whilethe bundle isbeing bound; P, the pitman or bar for connecting and operating the cranks N O; Q, the curved arms for receiving the grain; a, the twisting-wheel; b, the cutter or knife; 0, the pin for operating the cutter; d, the circular case of the twisting-wheel; e, the flange on the twisting-wheel for keeping it in place;

f, the space in the twisting-wheel; g g, the slots in the twisting-wheel; h, the spring on the twisting-wheel for keeping the knife in position; i, the needle or upper wire; j, the lower wire; it, the twist for holding the two wires together; Z, the bundle-twist; m, the slot in the guard-plate; n, the guide-loop for the wire j; 0, the rod upon which the compressor slides; 19, the staple Or bar for oatchingand tipping the compressor on the return movement; q, the hook on the compressor to engage with the staple p r, the spring-cam or incline at the end of the shaft K; s, the loop on the inner end of the spring r; t, the inclined projection at the side of the needle-arm for operating the spring-cam r and discharging the bundles; u, an arm for forcing the wire iinto the twisting device in case of oversized bundles.

This device is to be attached to a harvesting-machine, which is provided with an elevator, in such a manner that the grain will be discharged upon the platform B, or it may be partly discharged upon the platform A; and when in condition for receiving grain the needle-arm will be in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The frame A will be varied in its construction, according to the machine to which it is attached. The driving-wheel Dof the twisting device is attached to the shaft L, located beneath the main frame A, which shaft and the shaft M are provided with suitable gear-wheels, to give the needle-arm and the wheel D their proper movements. The twisting-wheel a is made, at its front, of a spur-wheel, provided with two slots, asshown at Fig. 5, which slots extend through the flange c, and correspond with the slot m. The wheel a is provided with a flange, e, which flange extends back and engages with an overhung border or lip of the frame d. as shown at Fig. 4. This flange 0 serves as the journal for the wheel a as it revolves in the case d. This construction leaves an open space, f, to make room for the twisting of the wire. In front of the wheel a and attached to a pin located at its center, is a knife, I), which is held in place by the spring h in one direction, andin the other direction by the shoulder h of thespring. The

wheel a engages with the wheel D, and is revolved by it. The needle-arm'E is a simple curved bar of iron, provided with an eye at the point, and with suitable loops or books for holding the wire 6 in position. The compressor H is made of iron rods, or other suitable material, and is held in position by the rod or bar I, around which a spring is coiled, so that the compressor may yield when necessary. This rod I passes through a socket, J, loosely, so that it can slide back and forth in said socket. This socket is pivoted to the needle-arm at J. On one side the compressor is permanently attached to the rod 0, and slides back and forth thereon. On the-opposite side it is disconnected, so that it may pass over the tilting platform. When the compressor is returned, the hook q engages with the loop or staple p, and tips it over out of the way of the grain which is being fed in. The needle-arm, however, will tip the compressor out of the way without these attachments.

The tilting platform B is held in position by.

a spring, which may be attached directly thereto, or to its supporting-shaft K, and it remains in a level or horizontal position while receiving grain, and while the bundle is being bound. When the binding is completed, and the needle-arm commences its return movement, the projection t on the side of the needlearm engages with the spring cam or arm r, and tilts the platform so as to throw the bound bundle out of the way, or discharge it onto the ground. After the projection t has passed, the spring will return the platform to its original position, and by making the projection or bar 1' a spring, the needle, in its forward movement, will pass without tilting the platform. In order to prevent the grain from being fed in after the needle has advanced to the position shown, a stop or receiver, 0 Q, which receives the grain and holds it while the needle is forward, is attached. The return movement of the needle by its crank N will invert the arms Q of the stop, and ,thereby discharge the accumulated grain upon the platform, for forming the next gavel.

In the drawing an arm is shown extending out for supporting the wire-spool F, but, in at taching this device to a harvester, such bar will not be required, as the spool will be attached to any suitable part of the machine.

The spool G may also be attached, in some constructions, directly to the machine; or, by

using suitable guides, may be so attached in' thrown over to the twister, in which operation the wire 43 is drawn from the spool F.

When the wires are in the position shown in Fig. 2 the wheel D commences revolving,

and twists the wires on each side, as shown at Fig. 4. This twisting is continued until the pin 0 on the wheel D comes in contact with the knife I). This pin strikes the back of the knife, and causes it to sever the wires across the slots 9 g of the wheel a. The spring h then returns the knife to the proper position for feeding in the wire, and holds it so that the hooks or projections on the knife pass over the outer ends of the slots, and prevent the wire from escaping or getting out of position for the twisting. This twister twists the wire on both sides, as shown at l k of Fig. 4. The twist 7c is lifted by the needle in its return movement, and the wire j is drawn through the slot, and, when the needle-arm has returned to its open position, the wheel a takes a half-turn, which throws the wire j down, ready forforming the under half of the band. This operation is repeated at regular intervals, according to the time of the gearing.

The needle-arm and the devices, as shown, are arranged to operate from the elevator; but it is obvious that they may be reversed, and the needle-arm made to operate toward the elevator, in which event the stop 0 Q will be placed on the opposite side. In either case this stop, of course, will be high enough for the needle-arm to pass under it. The coinpressor H operates to compact the bundle by pressing downward and forward but the other parts of the device will operate without the addition of a compressor. The arm'u of the needle-arm forces the upper wire down into the slot of the twister, so that, if the bundle should be large, the wire cannot escape the twisting device.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows 1. The twisting-wheel a and flange e, in combination with the case d, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the cutter orknife b, rotating with the twister, with the pin 0 on the wheel D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the wheel D and pin 0 with the wheel a case d, and knife I), substantially as specified.

. 4. The combination of the compressor H with the sliding spring-arm I and pivoted socket J, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the projection t with the spring cam or arm r and shaft K, for tilting the platform B, substantially as set forth.

6. The stop 0 Q, in combination with the cranks 0 and N on shaftM, and rod 12, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

. LOUIS H. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

L. L. BOND, O. W. BOND. 

